Of the 2 million individuals in prison and jail in the United States, 19 percent have regularly used opioids. Studies have found that individuals returning from incarceration to the community are at a high risk of a fatal overdose during the transition. A Washington State study found that individuals released from prison and jail were up to 129 times more likely to die during the first two weeks after release compared to the general public, with drug overdoses as the leading cause of death. These risk factors have significant implications for reentry planning and services to ensure quality care among justice-involved individuals as they transition to the community. Research also shows that providing MAT prior to and during reentry cuts the risk of death by 75 percent.

This webinar discussed the FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), how addiction is a chronic neurobehavioral disorder, that MOUD works by attenuating positive and negative reinforcement, and the effectiveness of MOUD for individuals with an opioid use disorder, and specifically for those in jails and prisons.

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Presenters:

• Tisha Wiley, PhD, Branch Chief, Associate Director for Justice Systems, NIDA
• Faye Taxman, PhD, University Professor, George Mason University
• Peter Friedmann, MD, MPH, DFASAM, FACP, Chief Research Officer, Baystate Health

 

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